Surgeon’s Calming Words May Ease Stress of Surgery

TUESDAY, Oct. 27, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Few moments in life are more daunting than those just before a surgery. But a new study finds that some reassuring words from a doctor just before an operation begins may be more effective than drugs in easing patient anxiety.

The French study was led by Dr. Emmanuel Boselli, a physician anesthesiologist at Edouard Herriot Hospital in Lyons. His team examined the use of what’s known as “conversational hypnosis.”

This method involves the doctor talking quietly and positively to the patient — saying things such as “Keep calm and quiet,” rather than “Please don’t move” — and focusing the patient’s attention on something other than anesthesia and surgery preparations.

In a study involving 100 patients undergoing hand surgery, this approach was compared to the use of hydroxyzine, a pill often given to patients to relax them before surgery.

Fifty of the patients received conversational hypnosis while being given regional anesthesia, while the other 50 were given hydroxyzine 30 minutes to an hour before receiving anesthesia.

The patients who received conversational hypnosis were calmer and had lower anxiety levels than those who took the anti-anxiety drug, according to the study presented earlier this month at the annual meeting of the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA).

“The anesthesiologist uses calm, positive words to divert the patient’s attention and help him or her feel more comfortable,” Boselli explained in an ASA news release.

“It reflects a change in the way the physician interacts with the patient and takes just a few minutes,” he added.

“Conversational hypnosis can be used prior to surgery in conscious patients having local or regional anesthesia,” Boselli said. “It also could be beneficial before general anesthesia to decrease patient anxiety.”

More information

The U.S. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality has more about surgery.

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How to Rock a Dark Lip Without Aging Yourself

When it comes to trends, some are best left to the younger crowd: hello, Kylie Jenner‘s seafoam green extensions. But dark lipstick is not one of them. With all of the different formulas, shades, and textures there is one out there that’s perfect for your pout, promise.

Inspired by the vampy look that celebrity makeup artist Hung Vanngo created for Ashley Benson (captured above), we asked the experts how to master the look like an adult. Here are their expert tips.

RELATED: 18 Fashion and Makeup Mistakes That Age You

It’s all about finding the right shade…

The trick is to try out a few different colors before settling on one. “Check yourself under natural light. Avoid browns and anything with too much beige—as we age, colors with a bit of rosiness are always more flattering even if they are neutrals,” explains makeup artist Suzy Gerstein.

More specifically, “berries and deep plums are a good place to start. You can’t go wrong with berries and rich deep reds, [no matter] your complexion,” adds makeup artist Adrienne Herbert.

And the right texture…

In addition to shade, you’ve also got to think about sheen. “Avoid traditional mattes, which tend to be drying and can settle into fine lines,” Gerstein warns. Also a flatter dark shade tends to make lips look thinner. “Instead, opt for semi-mattes or satins that contain light reflective properties,” she adds.

Apply it like a pro

Applying your lipstick so it looks just right is even harder when you’re using a darker shade. Herbert suggests using a lip brush to apply the product and then blotting it with a tissue to soften the color.

To make the lip line look less harsh, you can also try using your finger. “[Apply lipstick normally] then work into the lips with a finger so that the lipstick doesn’t appear that it’s about to slide off,” adds makeup artist April Greaves. “Apply a little more lipstick in center of your lips for extra pop to finish.”

What to do if you’ve gone a little overboard? You can easily walk things back with this tip from Greaves: “Clean up around the edges by outlining the perimeter [of your lips] with concealer on a small brush,” Gerstein says.

RELATED: Makeup Tricks from the Pros

Make it last

There’s no use going dark if it’s just going to fade right away. One thing you can do to prevent it:  “Applying lipstick, blotting, applying again, and repeating creates a layering effect which in turn helps create a stain,” Herbert says. “So when the color starts to come off, the stain beneath will carry you over to your next application.” And of course, keep the lipstick with you for when it does come time to re-apply.

Keep the rest of your makeup simple

With all the drama brought by the red lip, generally you want to stick to the basics for the rest of your face. “Depending on your face and what suits you, that might mean a subtle brow fill, black or brown mascara, a tight line of black, brown or plum liner, rosy cream blush and foundation/concealer,” Gerstein says.

But you can also experiment with your eyes: “Applying a smudged eyeliner, cat eye, or clean eye with lots of mascara will compliment a dark lip because it doesn’t compete with the color,” Herbert adds.

RELATED: Get Glam Makeup in 10 Minutes

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Should You Be Replacing Your Coconut Oil with Croc’ Oil?

Photo: Getty Images

Each year, a new — typically botanic — oil surfaces as the magic potion for dry skin. Argan, coconut, almond, olive, and vitamin E are in the top tier. However, in a recent article by The Telegraph, it’s been proposed that the latest cure for scaly, lizard-like skin just might be sourced from the crocodile itself. And as the temperature drops this fall, you’ll likely turn to just about anything to keep your skin from turning crepe-y as a result of the upcoming moisture-zapping frigid weather. In that case, here’s everything you need to know about the bizarre beauty ingredient.

What does crocodile oil even mean?

“Crocodile oil is oil extracted from crocodile fat, which contains linoleic acid and omega fatty acids, ingredients that have been used to treat eczema and psoriasis,” says California-based dermatologist and author of Asian Beauty Secrets Marie Jhin, MD. If you find yourself shedding tears for the crocodiles, perhaps the ingredient isn’t for you. However, it should be noted that brands like Repcillin (the South African beauty brand The Telegraph noted manufactures Nile crocodile oil), work with the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) ensuring that the animals they are sourcing the oil from are not nearing extinction. “Skincare brands like Repcillin describe their products as being humanely derived,” says New York City-based dermatologist Richard Mizuguchi, M.D. of Manhattan Dermatology & Cosmetic Surgery. “There are many crocodile meat farms in South America and Africa that throwaway unwanted byproducts of their butchery. The fat is collected and processed into various components of moisturizers and soaps by these companies.” Repcillin’s press officer Helen Lebedeva confirmed this point with The Telegraph, also noting that the company’s oil is tested by the South Africa Bureau of Standards (SABS).

Why should you consider it?

“Humans have been using animal fat to make skin products and soaps for thousands of years,” says Dr. Mizuguchi . Dr. Jhin agrees referring to the animal fat commonly used in the wildly popular K-beauty market. “Donkey or horse oil is used in Korea,” she says. “It contains a lot of vitamins, which can have antioxidative properties.” So, what’s to love about the reptile elixir? “Crocodile oil contains more of the beneficial ingredients for human skin as compared to other animal-based products — or even coconut oil,” says Dr. Mizuguchi. “Long chain fatty acids, omega 3s, as well as antioxidants that are not usually present in mammals, are very abundant in crocodiles.”

How can you work it into your skincare regimen?

Just like coconut oil, crocodile oil’s moisturizing properties are rich enough to hydrate your skin and hair. Though it may not be as readily available as your beloved jar of coconut oil (which can be purchased at a local grocery or health food store), crocodile oil is becoming popular in products sold on Etsy and international online beauty shops. Head over to Repcillin’s site to shop around for crocodile oil-based hair and skincare products for you.

This article originally appeared on MIMIchatter.com.

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I Tried It: Rodin’s Olio Lusso Luxury Face Oil

MIMI Chatter is an endless stream of beauty content. We bring together the must-knows and the how-tos from your favorite sites, beauty influencers, our editors, and YOU.

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Few Americans Know Warning Signs of Stroke

TUESDAY, Oct. 27, 2015 (HealthDay News) — One in three people can’t list any warning signs of stroke, research from the American Stroke Association shows.

However, the association added that putting common stroke symptoms into the lyrics of a song could help more people recognize when someone is having a stroke. And that could save lives.

In honor of World Stroke Day on Oct. 29, the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association urges people to learn the “F.A.S.T. Song,” to help remember how to spot common signs of a brain attack and what to do if one occurs.

• If someone has a stroke near you, the F.A.S.T. song tells you what to do.
• The letter F stands for face, if one half droops, no time to waste.
• The letter A means an arm that’s weak.
• The letter S means it’s hard to speak.
• The letter T means it’s time to dial 9-1-1. Call right away so help will come.
• Learn the song to show you care, and help end stroke each time you share.

“Most of us can recall using song to memorize something in history class like U.S. states in alphabetical order or the Preamble to the Constitution. It’s fun and it really works. The same principle works for learning stroke signs,” said Dr. Rani Whitfield, an American Stroke Association volunteer.

Stroke is the world’s second-leading cause of death and the number one cause of long-term disability. Strokes require immediate medical attention. The sooner a stroke is identified and treated, the better, the association says.

“Recognizing a stroke right away and calling 9-1-1 is the key when it comes to stroke,” Dr. Jeffrey Saver, director of the Comprehensive Stroke Center at the University of California, Los Angeles, said in a news release from the American Stroke Association.

“We have many effective therapies to treat stroke, but there is a short window for the patient to be evaluated at a hospital and receive treatment like a clot-busting drug or clot-removal device,” Saver stressed.

More information

The American Stroke Association has more on World Stroke Day.

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Oxytocin ‘Love Hormone’ Nasal Spray Shows Promise in Kids With Autism

TUESDAY, Oct. 27, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Oxytocin, the so-called “love hormone,” may help improve social skills in autistic children, a small new Australian study suggests.

“The potential to use such simple treatments to enhance the longer-term benefits of other behavioral, educational and technology-based therapies is very exciting,” study co-author Ian Hickie, co-director of the Brain and Mind Center at University of Sydney, said in a university news release.

Oxytocin, which occurs naturally in the human body, has been linked to social ties such as romantic coupling or the parent-child bond.

The new study included 31 children, aged 3 to 8, with autism who received an oxytocin nasal spray twice a day for five weeks.

The researchers report that kids who got the nasal spray showed significant improvements in social, emotional and behavioral problems, compared to kids who did not. The most common side effects were thirst, urination and constipation, the researchers said.

According to Hickie’s team, this study is the first to show that a drug treatment can improve social skills in youngsters with autism.

The researchers said they traced oxytocin treatment-related behavioral improvements to changes in the brain’s social circuitry. The next step, they said, is to learn how oxytocin alters brain wiring to alter social behavior and how oxytocin treatment might be used as part of overall therapy for children with autism.

Experts were cautiously optimistic about the study results.

“Previous studies of oxytocin for autism symptoms have used injection, which is not feasible for chronic or repeated administration,” noted Alycia Halladay, chief science officer with the Autism Science Foundation. “By showing that oxytocin can be put in a nasal spray and still improve some symptoms of autism, it makes this treatment more accessible for many who might benefit.”

However, she added that “oxytocin does not improve all symptoms of autism. It should be used in conjunction with other therapies.”

Dr. Andrew Adesman is chief of developmental and behavioral pediatrics at Cohen Children’s Medical Center of New York, in New Hyde Park. He said that “this well-designed study provides the strongest evidence to date that oxytocin can lead to significant short-term improvements in social responsiveness in young children with autism spectrum disorders.”

But there were some caveats to the results, he added.

“The benefits were not sustained when these children with autism spectrum disorders were switched [from oxytocin] to a placebo,” he said, and “more importantly, we do not know if the benefits can be sustained or increased with longer trials of oxytocin.”

The study was also a small one, but Adesman said that “in the very near future, we will see if these results are replicated — since many investigators in United States are conducting similar studies.”

His advice to parents: Wait a while.

“Although parents of children with autism spectrum disorders may be tempted to ask their doctor to prescribe oxytocin nasal spray for their child, it should be remembered that some children did not tolerate this treatment and we need much more information about long-term benefits and safety before this can be recommended as a mainstream treatment approach,” Adesman said.

According to the study authors, autism is diagnosed in about one in 68 children. Behavioral therapies can help improve social, emotional and behavioral problems in youngsters with autism, but these can require a lot of time (40 hours a week) and money, and they yield mixed results. Currently, there is no drug treatment for these problems.

The new study was published Oct. 27 in the journal Molecular Psychiatry.

More information

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has more about autism.

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Genetic Makeup May Help Explain Methadone Overdoses

TUESDAY, Oct. 27, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Researchers say they’ve identified genetic variations that affect how quickly people metabolize the synthetic drug methadone.

Methadone is used to treat pain or addiction to powerful narcotic pain drugs and heroin. However, methadone can be deadly if it remains in the body too long.

“A person’s genetic makeup influences how an enzyme in the liver metabolizes methadone,” said principal investigator Dr. Evan Kharasch, professor of biochemistry and molecular biophysics at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.

“This explains why some people can have very high levels of methadone in their blood — high enough to trigger a potential overdose — even if they have received the same dose of the drug as others who are not affected the same way,” he said in a university news release.

It was known that people metabolize methadone differently, but it was not completely understood how a person’s genetic makeup affected that process.

The researchers said they pinpointed genetic subtypes that affect methadone metabolism. They said if genetic testing is used before patients are prescribed methadone, the new findings could help prevent some of the 5,000 deaths due to methadone overdoses that occur each year in the United States.

The study team analyzed blood samples from healthy volunteers to determine their genetic makeup, and then gave them methadone to see how rapidly it cleared from their bodies. The results showed that variations in a gene that influences methadone clearance in the liver had a major effect on how long the drug stayed in the body.

Blacks were more likely than whites to have higher methadone levels in the blood despite receiving equal amounts of the drug, the study found. Blacks also were more likely to have the gene variant associated with slower methadone metabolism and less likely to have the gene variant associated with faster methadone metabolism, the researchers said.

“We think that may explain why African-Americans and Caucasian patients typically clear methadone at different rates,” Kharasch said.

The researchers also found that the genetic variants were more likely to affect metabolism of methadone in liquid or pill form than intravenous methadone. That finding is important because primary care doctors are more likely to prescribe the oral form and may not be as familiar with the difficulties in using methadone to treat pain as pain management specialists, the investigators said.

The study was published online recently in the journal Anesthesiology.

More information

The U.S. National Library of Medicine has more about methadone.

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Number of Mammograms Handled May Affect Breast Cancer Detection Rates

TUESDAY, Oct. 27, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Mammography breast cancer screenings are most beneficial if they are analyzed at hospitals that handle many of them, a new study suggests.

These higher-volume facilities are much more likely to detect invasive breast tumors at an early stage, when they’re most treatable, the researchers found.

The findings address “an important gap in evidence that informs whether facility volume is associated with good screening outcomes for women — such as finding more early invasive tumors rather than advanced, which helps reduce the likelihood of dying from breast cancer or having more intensive treatment,” said study first author Tracy Onega.

Onega is with the Norris Cotton Cancer Center at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center in Lebanon, N.H.

Last week, the American Cancer Society updated its guidelines, recommending that women at average risk of breast cancer start mammography screenings at age 45 and continue annually until 54, and then every other year while they are healthy and expected to live another 10 years.

Previously, the society recommended annual mammograms starting at 40.

Many large hospitals use digital mammography capable of analyzing an average of 2,000 mammograms a year. This means smaller hospitals could send their mammograms to these higher-volume facilities for interpretation, Onega said in a center news release.

Further research to learn how handling large numbers of mammograms improves the detection of early stage breast cancer could help identify ways to help smaller hospitals boost their abilities, she added.

The study was published recently in the Journal of Medical Screening.

More information

The U.S. Office on Women’s Health has more about mammograms.

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Secret to Staying Slim May Be as Close as Your Fruit Bowl

TUESDAY, Oct. 27, 2015 (HealthDay News) — The food sitting out on your kitchen counter offers clues about your weight, a new study reveals.

Cornell University researchers photographed kitchen counters in more than 200 American homes and then checked the weight of the women living in those houses.

Women who had breakfast cereal sitting on the counter weighed 20 pounds more than women who didn’t have cereal boxes on display. And women in homes with soft drinks sitting on the counter weighed 24 to 26 pounds more than those living in homes without soft drinks on the counter, the investigators found.

“It’s your basic ‘see-food diet’ — you eat what you see,” lead author Brian Wansink, professor and director of Cornell’s Food and Brand Lab, said in a university news release.

“As a cereal lover, that shocked me. Cereal has a health-halo, but if you eat a handful every time you walk by, it’s not going to make you skinny,” he explained.

On the flip side, women who had a stocked fruit bowl on their countertops weighed 13 pounds less than women without the easily accessible fruit.

Although this study found an association between what was on the counter and a person’s weight, it wasn’t designed to prove a cause-and-effect relationship.

The study was published online recently in the journal Health Education and Behavior.

“We’ve got a saying in our lab: ‘If you want to be skinny, do what skinny people do.’ If skinny people make their homes ‘slim by design’ by clearing the counters of everything but the fruit bowl, it won’t hurt us to do the same,” Wansink said.

More information

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention explains how to prevent weight gain.

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More Evidence That Drinking May Raise Breast Cancer Risk

TUESDAY, Oct. 27, 2015 (HealthDay News) — A new study out of Europe supports the notion that drinking raises women’s risk of breast cancer.

Researchers from five Spanish universities looked at data on more than 334,000 women aged 35 to 70, across 10 European countries. Nearly 12,000 of the women developed breast cancer over the study period.

Reporting recently in the International Journal of Cancer, the investigators found that the risk of breast cancer quadrupled with each daily glass of wine or beer. The study wasn’t designed to prove cause-and-effect, however, only to show an association.

In a new release from the journal, study co-author Maria Dolores Chirlaque said that “a daily intake of one glass of wine or beer — or less — would correspond to a risk value of 1. However, if we increase our intake to two daily glasses of wine or beer, our risk would rise by 4 percent.”

The risk continues to rise along with higher alcohol consumption, she added.

The time in life and the number of years a woman drinks also seemed to affect her breast cancer risk, the study found. The longer a women drank, the greater her risk, especially if she started drinking before her first pregnancy.

The good news? This is a modifiable risk factor.

“Alcohol intake is a breast cancer risk factor that can be changed by a personal decision to form healthy habits,” Chirlaque said. So, “women must be advised and forewarned of the possibility they have to control this factor.”

As to why drinking might boost breast cancer risk, she pointed out that, in the study, drinking increased the chances of both hormone-receptor-negative as well as hormone-receptor-positive breast cancers. “So, everything points to non-hormonal causes that need to be further investigated,” Chirlaque said.

More information

Breastcancer.org has more about alcohol and breast cancer.

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No Need to Stop Taking Statins Before Surgery, Study Finds

By Steven Reinberg
HealthDay Reporter

TUESDAY, Oct. 27, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Stopping cholesterol-lowering statins before non-cardiac surgery is unnecessary and may increase the risk of death following the operation, researchers report.

In their study, doctors from the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), found that although the practice of stopping statins before an operation is no longer recommended, many patients are still being told to do so.

Moreover, patients who stopped taking statins before surgery or who didn’t start them again within two days after surgery had a 40 percent increased risk of dying within 30 days, the investigators found.

“Recently, a number of studies have suggested that continued use of statins in patients undergoing non-cardiac surgery is associated with significantly lower risk of cardiovascular events and death,” said Dr. Gregg Fonarow, a professor of cardiology at the University of California, Los Angeles.

This latest study, which evaluated patients in the Veterans Affairs health care system who did or did not continue statin therapy, also shows an association between statin use and better clinical outcomes, said Fonarow, who was not involved with the study.

However, the association seen in the study does not prove a cause-and-effect relationship.

The findings were to be presented Tuesday at the American Society of Anesthesiologists annual meeting, in San Diego. Research presented at medical meetings is viewed as preliminary until published in a peer-reviewed journal.

The UCSF team, led by Dr. Susan Lee, a clinical instructor in the department of anesthesia and perioperative care, collected data on about 300,000 patients who had been taking statins before non-cardiac surgery between 2000 and 2014.

The study authors found that more than 98,000 patients had not resumed taking statins in the two days after their operation. However, the percentage of patients who did not resume taking statins within two days of surgery dropped over the study period. From 2000 to 2002, 46 percent of patients had not resumed their statins in the two days after surgery. From 2012 to 2014, only 24 percent hadn’t resumed taking statins by the second day.

Lee and her colleagues then looked at death rates in the 30 days after surgery. They found that the death rate was 2.6 percent among those who did not resume taking their statins in the two days after surgery — 40 percent higher than those who quickly resumed or never stopped taking their statins.

“We now know that patients should not stop taking their statins around the time of surgery, but some providers may still be following outdated recommendations to suspend them temporarily,” Lee said in an American Society of Anesthesiologists news release. “Unfortunately, many patients don’t resume them within two days of surgery, which is associated with an increased risk of death during the recovery process.”

Earlier studies have suggested that abruptly stopping statins can increase inflammation in the lining of the blood vessels and lead to a problem called endothelial dysfunction, which may increase the risk of heart attack after surgery.

According to the study authors, a 2002 clinical advisory recommended temporarily discontinuing statins for non-cardiac surgery — a recommendation still included in the drug package insert. But in 2007, the American College of Cardiology and American Heart Association began recommending continued use of statins around the time of surgery, saying they reduce inflammation and promote blood flow.

“Unfortunately, the drug information for statins still comes with a warning to temporarily discontinue them during surgery,” Lee said in the news release. “Patients and their doctors need to understand the importance of continuing statins throughout surgery, a simple act that may reduce the risk of complications and death after the procedure.”

Statins have been shown to prevent heart attacks and strokes in patients at risk for heart disease regardless of their cholesterol levels, Fonarow said.

To confirm the findings of this study, Fonarow said a randomized trial is needed where some patients stop taking statins before surgery while others continue them.

“There is a critical need to identify any therapy that can lower the risk around the time of surgery, since many other heart medications have been tested but failed to provide benefit in this setting,” he said.

More information

Visit the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for more on statins.

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